High school football coach scores big win at Supreme Court over post-game prayer

The Supreme Court handed a big win to a former Washington high school football coach who lost his job over reciting a prayer on the 50-yard line after games.

At issue was whether a public school employee praying alone but in view of students was engaging in unprotected "government speech," and if it is not government speech, does it still pose a problem under the First Amendment's Establishment Clause.

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the answer to both questions is no.

As a card-carrying heathen, I'm absolutely baffled by anyone who'd have a problem with Coach Kennedy spending 30 seconds in quiet prayer after the game. Don't give a rip if it's a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Druid, whatever. For anyone who's offended by it, my recommendation is they call their mommies & have a good cry like the precious little snowflakes they are.

 

Great thread and a right on decision.

 

I agree. It is not like he led his team in a group prayer. He took a 30 second break. My guess is the whataboutism part about this will be the Florida laws for restrictions on teachers.

 

If he just took a knee and burned our flag while praying, they would not have objected!

 

The issue that was (not shockingly) ignored by the court was that this individual had previously done this in the locker rooms and basically had a coercive effect on others who felt obligated to attend at a school function. No one should take issue with private prayer but when individuals are rushing the field and creating a disturbance towards others it should become an issue.

As a side note, I always find it fascinating to have the religious right pray and thank god for their win while their god is ignoring starving families and children with crazy diseases and cancers. Such absolute arrogance.

 

Exactly. Wearing the names of a life long thieves and drug users on their jerseys, would be far more appropriate=) Or, paint the name of a violent criminal organization in the end zone, perhaps?

 

Bullshit. If that was the case, the defense would have cited the "coercion" & produced affidavits and/or witness to testify to it. They didn't do that, because it never happened.

Kids on the opposing teams chose to join Coach Kennedy during his post game prayer. How were they coerced?

Scratch a lefty, find a liar.

 

It’s literally in the OP source. They had previously asserted this had happened (which is why the school asked for him to stop in the locker rooms) but it was not listed for grounds of his termination and thus was not admissible. Was it reading comprehension or just basic literacy issues that prevented an understanding of this:

The record reveals that Kennedy had a longstanding practice of conducting demonstrative prayers on the 50-yard line of the football field," Sotomayor wrote. "Kennedy consistently invited others to join his prayers and for years led student athletes in prayer at the same time and location. The Court ignores this history."

Sotomayor also pointed to claims that players had felt pressured to join Kennedy out of a desire to win favor and playing time. During oral arguments, Kennedy's attorney addressed the assertion that Kennedy' prayer had a coercive effect, noting that the school district did not bring it up as a reason for ending his employment.​

 

Sotomayor is the only one making the "claim." If the claims were legit, they would have figured prominently in the school district's decision to fire Coach Kennedy. Those "claims" were never even mentioned. What does that tell you?

I remain curious to see you explain how opposing players were "coerced" to join the coach they were trying to beat.

 

We get it. You hate God and therefore you don't want anyone else showing any devotion to God. That's pretty much par for the course among the Totalitarians.

"Mr. Kennedy prayed during a period when school employees were free to speak with a friend, call for a reservation at a restaurant, check email, or attend to other personal matters. He offered his prayers quietly while his students were otherwise occupied. Both the Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment protect expressions like Mr. Kennedy’s. Nor does a proper understanding of the Amendment’s Establishment Clause require the government to single out private religious speech for special disfavor. The Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and nonreligious views alike."

Few in America are big on some of the Left's constant disrespect, intolerance, censorship and suppression. We call on the sensible within the Left to speak up and encourage them to tolerate and respect others.

​

Unhinged Abortion Left Should Probably Focus on Mental Health Care for a While. “The reactions ran the gamut from America’s Dumbest Bartender belching up her last three brain cells to the most mentally unbalanced progressives sharing their emotional weakness with the world.”

 

Well duh because he stopped doing it after he was asked..... He then went on to pray by himself after a game and they then fired him, which ofcourse is what the case was about.
As a side note, I always find it fascinating to have the religious right pray and thank god for their win while their god is ignoring starving families and children with crazy diseases and cancers. Such absolute arrogance.
I find it amusing that you assume what the guy was praying about. Arrogance knows no bounds I guess.

 

I don't have a problem with coaches praying on the football field.

I can't wait for the first coach to roll out his prayer mat, face Mecca, and start praying after a game.

 

if it was any other religion, the Christians would have been in an uproar

hopeful other religions will join in now

 

no doubt, that is when Christians realize the mistake they made

 

he made it known to everyone what he was doing or no one would of known



https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew 6:5-15&version=NIV


"5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

 

Yeah not sure why this got so blown out of proportion.

 

Remember when schools had dress like a Muslim day? I don’t recall anyone being fired over that.

 

I have no issues with it. The game was over and he was not in anyone's way. I have been to the Vatican and watched nuns pray every step as they climb a stair case. I have been in Fatima where people take a step and drop and pray along a long path to the Basilica. I won't judge how others want to pray. He could take out a pray mat and pray to Allah and it wouldn't bother me.

 

Basic reading comprehension please, I never said him, I said “the religious right” — I played various sports in middle and high school and witnessed it first hand. If you were honest you would admit the same.

and he did not go and pray by himself, he led groups in prayer — this is in the OP source. It isn’t a long or particularly hard read.

 

Karenitis??? People hate it when someone does anything the they don't like.

 

How can I hate something that doesn’t exist?

I don’t have an issue with anyone signaling obeisance to any imaginary being — I just believe it has its place and school isn’t that place. I think the youth should be informed of religion and taught tolerance but a specific denomination being practiced should be where the line is drawn.

 

The new partisan court will probably allow those other religions to be banned because they are not rooted in this nations “tradition”.

 

Was this recent? I don't ever recall a "Dress like a Muslim day" when I went to school. It does seem wrong. Did they have other dress like days for other religions? It would almost seem to foster religious stereotypes.

 

That's what the free expression of religion is about, the right to freely express one's religious beliefs. There was no coercion involved in the prayer sessions, I don't know why it was ever a problem.

 

Awesome SC decision!